Internal-combustion engine.



.E. 1. nus.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPucATioN FILED FEB. 25; 1914.

Edwin J Ellis;

Patented Nov, 21,1916

2 SHEETS-SHEET I gnumo irrirrnn EDWIN E, .EL'LZS, F AUBQlEtA, ELLINDIS.

ILITERNAL-GOMBUSTIUE T315 GENE.

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mama-mm h Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1915..

Application filed February 135, 393 i. Serial No. $29,989.

To all whom it may concern: M

Be it known that 1, Enwrn J. ELLIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing'iat The object of the invention is to provide in connection with a plurality of cylincers arranged in tandem relation to each other, a rotary tubular distributing and collecting valve or, in other words, a single valve which is adapted to distribute the charges of the mixture to the several cylinders and also collect or receive the exhaust from the cylinders.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through. a multiple cylinder internal combustion en gine embodying the present invention, said section extending diametrically through the inlet and exhaustvalve. Pic". 2 is a vertical cross section taken diametrically through one of the cylinders, showing; the intake position of the valve. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the exhaust position of the valve. Fig. is a detail vertical cross section on the line -ll of Fig. 1. 5 is a detail section similar to the uppe portion of Fig. 2 showing the use of a duplex rotary valve.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the crank shaft oi a multiple cylinder on nine, '2 the crank case, 3 the cylinders. l the pistons and 5 the-connectingrods. the Gl'lQlilC being of the ordinary tour-cycle recipr catory piston type and the cylinders being water jacketed as at (i.

In carrying out the present invention, I employ a multiple cylinder head designated generally at A. said cylinder head being common to all of the cylinders 23. The cylinder head A comprises an-inner wall 7 which may be said to constitute the cylinder head 3) per, and an outer semi-cylindrical Wall 8 which forms a Water jacket around the valve casing, the. latter being designated at 9 and being su lj stantially cylindrical and tubular in cross section.

Gillie valve casing tube 9 extends throughout the entire length of the mid tiple cylinder head and is stormed integrally with the inner wall 7, the latter being pro vided at the outer end of the combustion chamber of each of the cylinders 3 with a. single port 10 which forms at one and the same time the charge intake port and theexliiaust port.

llevoluhly mounted in the valve casing 9 IS a tubular c lindr cal distrlhuting and collecting 'alve 11. On its outer surface this valve is in the form of a true cylinder and has a close working fit within the casing 9 so as to avoid leakage oi? the The valve comprises an outer shell to which the "refercnce numcral ll is applied and also comprises an inner shell 12 concentric with the outer shcll but made tapering or gradually increasing in diameter toward its discharge end where. it is open as shown at 13 so as to discharge into the adjacent end of an exhaust pipe 1% or if preferred to the atmosphere direct.

The outer shell of the valve is formed at intervals with supply or distributing ports 15 arranged at suitable intcrvals'around the shell 11 to register at the properperiods with the ports 10 or the several cylinder; inorder to charge said cylinders with explosive mixture. The inner or exhaustshcll 12 is likewise provided with 3. corresponding number and arrangement of receiving or collecting ports 16 which are defined by tubular necks 17 leading from the inner shell 12 to the outer shell 11 as clearly shown in the cross sectional views. The port 15 of any one cylinder is arranged approximately 90 frointhe port 16 in order that after a cylinder is charged with gas, the piston may complete its suction stroke and the compression and firing strokes before the exhaust port 16 comes into line with the port 10 in the cylinder head, Whereupon the exhaust gas is thoroughly scavenged from said cylinder by the outward stroke of the piston l the same as in any ordinary four-cycle engine.

At one end the outer and inner shells-are connected by suction vanes 18 resemhlln' fan blades, the pitch of which is so designs I I to a minimum.

as to suck in the explosive mixture from the intake pipe 19 which connects with a suitable carburetor (not shown). This end portion of the valve is journaled in and inclosed by a tubular extension 20 of the multiple cylinder head as shown in Big. 1 and extending beyond the end of the rotary valve is a shaft 21 upon which is mounted a Wheel 22 adapted to be driven by the crank shaft 1. While the driving of the rotary valve may be accomplished by any suitable driyillg mechanism interposed between th crank shaft and the valve shaft, i prefer to use a silent chain 23 passing'around the Wheel 22 and also around another Wheel 24: on the crank shaft. The same chain 23 may be employed to operate the cooling fan 25 by Working over a Wheel 26 on the fan shaft 27.

By making the inner shell 12 tapering from end to end, the charge containing chamber 28 gradually decreases in capacity from its receiving end in order to/properly supply the mixture in the necessary quantity to the cylinders arranged in tandem. Furthermore, the exhaust passage or chamber 29 correspondingly increases in diameter toward its discharge end to enable it to efficiently collect and discha go the exhaust gases received from the cylinders. The exhaust gas by passing constantly through the chamber 29 formed by the inner shell 12 also serves to heat the incoming mixture and fully vaporize the same thereby economizing in fuel and producing the highest efficiency possible.

The collecting and distributing valve hereinabove described is preferably formed of high grade cast iron which is heat treated so as to reduce the evpansion and contraction On account of the constant rotationof the valve, there is no chance for carbon and other deposits to collect on the valve or within the valve casing, the valve being in elfect self-cleaning. Furthermore there is comparatively little friction to the revolution of said valve as the ports leading through the cylinder heads are relatively small as compared with the bearing surface of the valve. By thus doing away with carbon deposits, the engine is easily maintained at its full efiiciency'and will be found much more reliable than the ordinary puppet Valve construction in which carbon rapidly accumulates around the valves and their seats and by preventing the proper seating of the valves soon results in a very considerable reduction in the power and efficiency of the engine.

In some cases 1t may be des1rable to 111-" crease the rapidity with which the intalge and "exhaust ports open and close and in such cases a supplemental shell 30 may he placid around the outer shell 11 above de scribed and formed with intake and exhaust ports to register with the ports 15 and 17 above described. This supplemental shell 30 may be driven or rotated in the opposite direction from the valve hereinabove described thereby reducing the opening and closing movements of the ports one-half. This may alsobe accomplished by varying the sizes of the ports in the cylinder head and in the outer and inner shells of the valve. By the valve arrangement hereinabove described, all lateral or offset valve chambers are dispensed with and this enables higher compression of the gases to be obtained which is productive of stronger impulses for a less amount of mixture. this produces an engine which is economical in operation.

The construction herein described shown provides tapering concentric exhaust and intake manifolds and by reason of the fact that the device as a whole revolves, uniform heating and cooling is obtained, the increasing diameter of the exhaust manifold preventing excessive heating as additional charges are received from the cylinders along the concentric rotating exhaust manifold. A ground Working fit is obtained on the outside of the manifold valve'the entire length of the combined distributing and col- 'ecting concentric chambers resulting in a practically total elimination of pull as there is no load or strain of any character on the manifold valve itself, thereby assuring longer service and maintaining at all times a perfectly tight working fit. Should any perceptible Wear occur the possibility of leakage from one cylinder to another will be prevented by the rings which surround the manifold valve between each of the cylinders. The compression and explosion strokes serve to hold the rotary manifold valve against the upper Wall of the chamber or casing in which it Works so that an oil film will perfectly seal the same allowing no pressure to escape except through the register ports of the cylinder and manifold valve.

It will also be noted that the rotary intake and exhaust manifold valve is cast in one piece Without any joints and is therefore not liable to Warpage or leakage from ex pansion and contraction and there are no surfaces to be machined with the exception of the single outside surface. This elimination of joints alone is an important factor in the practical Working and maintenance of the etliciency of the valve. The ports are elongated longitudinally of the manifold valve thus enabling each port to be fully opened and fully closed on a comparatively short travel of the piston on the intake or exhaust stroke. The cooling circulation is entirely out off from any working joint or surface and hence no Water can possibly enter the manifolds or cylinders. My

and l method of cooling the exhaust manifold, and port walls of the same, on all exterior surfaces with the cool incoming gas, keeps the exhaust surfaces heated alike. The incoming gas goin between the walls of the exhaust manifol and the wall of the intake manifold, holds the temperature of the Working surface uniform with the chamber wall containingthe rotary manifold valve.

The cooling water circulating around this chamber Wall brings the temperatures of both to substantially the same degree, which is not high and therefore said surfaces are uniformly eated along their entire length so that the fit and lubrication are practically perfect.

I What I claim is:

1. In a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine, uting and exhaust-collecting manifold valve common to all of the cylinders, said valve comprising an outer cylindrical shell provided with a lateral intake orifice adjacent to one end thereof and having a supply port for each cylinder, and an inner shell concentric with the outer shell closed at one end and having an exhaust-collecting port for each cylinder, said inner shell terminating at its closed end short of the lateral intake orifice of the outer shell and being open at a rotary tubular charge-distribits other end, the inner shell having a progressively increasing internal and external diameter from its closed end toward its discharge end.

2. In a multiple cylinder internal combusa rotary tubular charge-distr1b-' tion engine, v uting and exhaust-collecting manifold valve common to all of the cylinders, said valve comprising an outer cylindrical shell provided with a lateral intake orifice adjacent to one end thereof and having a supply port for each cylinder, an inner shell concentric with the outer shell closed at one end and having an exhaust-collecting port for each cylinder, said inner shell terminating at its closed end short of the lateral intake orifice of the outer shell and being open at its other end, the inner shell having a progressively increasing internal and external diameter from its closed end toward its discharge end, and suction vanes carried by said valve and having their peripheral edges arranged to sweep across said lateral intake orifice.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' EDWIN J, ELL-2%. Witnesses:

HENRY. ELDER, WALTER Beans 

